Back in May I was lucky enough to be able to join the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) as an associate judge. For two days my palate was subjected to the most tortuous test, tasting over 100 different brandies and eaux-de-vie. It was a baptism of spirits but I immensely enjoyed it (must be my masochistic side) and it taught me an enormous amount about tasting under time-pressure.

Following on from these two days, a few well-deserved days relaxing in the Champagne region followed which soon recharged the batteries.

In the mean time the medals have been awarded and published (see the IWSC website for more information). A number of judges and associate judges got together in October in the very picturesque setting of Denbies Vineyards in Dorking. Just under an hour’s train journey outside London you imagine yourself in deepest vinous France. Rolling hills and vines as far as the eye can see in the most colourful of autumn foliage. The IWSC was showing off a number of ‘Best in Class’ wines from the competition, mostly silver medal winners. This should be an interesting tasting and I have to say that bar one or two exceptions the wines in the main were good to excellent and I wasn’t disappointed. Re-reading my notes, they are a tad rudimentary, but it’ll have to do. No prices were stated but you can use www.wine-searcher.com to find these wines.

Whites:

Wakefield, Clare Valley, Riesling 2008 (Australia)

Fragrant ripe citrus, very well-judged acidity, clean refreshing limey palate.

Rieflé 2005, Grand Cru Steinert (Alsace, France)

Quite honeyed petrol nose. Med(+) body. Very well balanced acidity. Freshness with bitter lemon rind fruit and minerality. Excellent.

Moncaro, Fondiglie, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Classico Superiore 2007 (Italy)

A bit boiled cabbage, sweaty on the nose. Fresh lemony, melon with a hint of bitterness. Medium body and acidity. Not sure if this warrants silver though.

Sonoma-Cutrer 2006, Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (California)

Melon, hint of butter. Full bodied, melon and apple fruit. Medium acidity, slightly high on alcohol. (13.9%) but good.

The FMC 2006, Forrester Meinert Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch (S.A)

Creamy apple nose, like a really characterful chardonnay. Soft palate with apply fruit and real acidic backbone. Excellent.

I later found out this retails for around £20 and, although steep, it doesn’t surprise me.

Torres Fransola, Sauvignon Blanc, Penedes 2007 (Spain)

Typical grassy gooseberry SB nose. Focussed and almost NZ like. Softer on the palate with medium acidity. Good.

Domaine Laroche, Chablis Saint Martin 2006 (France)

Relatively light neutral nose. Med+ apply acidity, fresh. No more than ok.

Mount Riley Pinot Gris 2008, New Zealand

Almost SB (Sauvignon Blanc) like on the nose. Fresh, floral and citrus notes. Fatter on the palate but with plenty of freshness and ripe peachy notes. Delicious.

Equinox Pinot Gris, Waipara Hills 2007 (New Zealand)

More cool and mineral on the nose than the Mount Riley. Well balanced fruit and acidity. Very good.

Tahbilk 2006 Marsanne (Australia)

Mineral, petrol, Riesling like nose. Very well balanced on the palate, body and acidity, apple and citrus. Interesting wine. Good.

Cape Point Winery, Isliedh 2006, Cape Point, Fish Hoek (S.A)

Not sure what blend this is but definitely has SB in it. Maybe Semillon/ Chardonnay or Chenin? Well balanced fruity wine, citrus and tropical, great balanced acidity and fairly complex. Spiciness from the oak. Lovely.

Actually Sauvignon (78) and Semillon (22). With batonage 10 months on lees in barrel.

Reds:

Kingston Echelon, South Australia Shiraz 2005

Nice fresh berry nose. Full on and ripe but very well balanced. Dark fruits and liquorice with ripe tannins. Expert.

Vergelegen 2005 (S.A)

CF 55 – M 26 – CS 19

Cassis and peppery nose and some green leafy aromas. Fresh cassis with a hint of mint. Restraint if somewhat green and a tad harsh.

Amarone della Valpolicella (CS. Valpantena) Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference

Dark brooding coffee nose, prunes and a hint of cinnamon. Noticeable ripe tannins on what seems almost like a café latte. Cherry and tobacco. Full bodied, warming and spicy. Pretty good and good value.

Yarden – Galilee Merlot 2003 – Golan Heights (Israel)

Woody, smoky, spicy plums. Tannins a bit too dry and stalky for my liking. Not for me.

Cortea Vistalba 2004, Argentina, Mendoza

The bottle is ludicrously heavy. I think they’re trying to tell us this is a heavy, concentrated wine. They’re right though. Incredibly dark and concentrated, spicy fruit, but surprisingly agile on the palate. Ripe tannins galore but all in balance. Hot, full bodied and spicy and I kind of like it.

Saint Joseph – Preference 2006 – Caves St Pierre (France)

A little stinky, farmyardy on the nose. Medium+ to full bodied with fresh dark fruit on the palate and a little pepper. Nice, characterful wine.

Simonsig, Stellenbosch, Tiara 2001, South Africa

CS 70 - M 26 - CF 4

Nice age to it. Mellow, a little spice and furniture polish and a hint of leather. Cassis and plums. Almost classic Bordeaux.

Haan, Barossa Valley, Wilhelmus 2005 (Australia)

Sweet cassis nose and a hint of leafiness. Fresh palate with good fruit intensity and overall balance. Memorable? Not really.

Villa Maria, Seddon Vineyard Pinot Noir 2006, Marlborough (NZ)

Smelly, almost to the point of being Syrah from the Cote du Rhone. Not the elegance I was expecting. Lively palate though I’m not sure about this one.

Abbotts Notus, Syrah 2006, Minervois (France)

Soft, ripe and spicy. Easy drinking with ripe tannic backbone and balanced acidity. Good.

Herencia del Padri, Priorat 2005 Bernard Magréz (Spain)

Lovely complex notes of spicy vanilla, plums, leather and coffee. Ripe medium+ tannins. Dark brambly fruit with spicy complexity. A real complex winter warmer. Absoluty stunningly delicious. Carignan dominated (known as Samso in this part of Spain).

Aragonez, Cortes de Cima, Alentejano 2004 (Portugal)

Fresh raspberry/ strawberry nose. Juicy with nice complexity although I find the tannins just a tad too drying and astringent. Would need some food to soften it up, but I like it and it has a few years life left in it yet.

Yali Grand Reserve 2006, Carmenere, Chile

Youthful dark cherry on the concentrated nose and palate. Very modern and juicy with soft ripe tannins. Good.

Bodegas Ramon Bilbao, Vina Turzaballa Gran Reserva 1999, Rioja.

Lightish fruity nose. Good fruit overall and a nice wine but not particularly special.